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I'll be honest...when I was a kid and my mom was in Russia, I had to live with my aunt. Sort of like Pollyanna! Unlike Pollyanna, my aunt was actually very sweet, but she also didn't let me do anything fun (well, maybe like Pollyanna.) She "let" me listen to this book on cassette tape instead. I also watched a lot of movies about concentration camps and a movie about drug addiction and gangs in NY called "The Cross and the Switchblade" starring none other than Erik Estrada. I have no idea where this comment is going; I might be working out some childhood stuff here. Anyway, the point is...I get positive thinking. I get it. But, imagine someone in Pollyanna in real life. I could not be friends with someone like that...it's o.k. to be sad. Some things suck. Life isn't a competition of who has things worse, and not everything has a silver lining. That's o.k. Life is chaos. Entropy. Anyway, this is a sweet book simply marred by own childhood ennui.

Pollyanna is such a beautiful classic. It revolves around the coming of age of an optimistic girl named Pollyanna. Pollyanna's father passed away, she is sent to live with her wealthy aunt. With her optimism and joyfulness, she brings laughter to the town with her simple game. I found it so amazing that although Pollyanna has been through so much, being an orphan sent to her aunt Polly who forbids her to talk about her parents, she still manages to be happy with something. Throughout the course of the book, she changes many peoples lives-including her aunt, with her optimism and kindness. This book just goes to chow that no matter how small you are, or no matter how small the act of kindness you do, you can still make a big impact. Pollyanna didn't do anything huge, it was the little things she did everyday- the small compliments, the jokes, the games and laughter that brightened the town. I think it is important for kids growing up to have people like Pollyanna to look up to, characters who are positive and enjoy life. After I finished the book, I even found myself playing the "Glad Game" . The title of the book is called Pollyanna, but that name that one word, can brighten peoples day because of what she did and how she treated others. What I loved is that she wasn't rich, or very intelligent or even very pretty, she was just a girl who was always glad, and somehow that shone more than anything else.